Richard Pococke

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text.
Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book
(without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.
1888 edition. Excerpt: ...dressing to smelt it. To spall it, is to
break it with a large smith's hammer to about the size of hen's
eggs, when it is put into sacks, and carried to the stamping mills.
These mills reduce it to the smallness of common sea sand; it may
be greater or smaller according to the nature of the tin and the
judgment of the dresser, for the mills force it thro' a plate of
iron punch'd full of holes of such a size as the dresser thinks
most convenient. Having pass'd thro' these grates, 'tis receiv'd by
a recevoir, which is call'd the stamps pit. This pit lying
slanting, the tin divides itself into two bodies. The heaviest or
best tin subsides at the top of the pit, the lightest is carried
with the slime to the tail of the pit, and this they call slime
tin; and these are both dress'd separate. The best is carried to be
dress'd or c.leans'd to the buddle, which is a. pit cas'd with wood
or stone about six feet long, 2 feet 4 inches broad, and 2 feet 6
inches deep; at the head of which and about 4 inches above it is
placed a shelving or slanting board the breadth of the pit and
about 16 inches over. On this board they place about the quantity
of a shovel full of their best tin at a time, on which a water very
gradually is let run; this water gently carries all the tin into
the buddle, where the tinner stands with naked feet, and as the tin
is wash'd down he keeps it fluctuating by gently moving one of his
feet backward and forward on it. This causes the lighter tin or
waste to be wash'd to the bottom or lower end of the pit, whilst
the best subsides at the top or head. When the buddle or pit is
quite full, the water is turn'd off, and the upper part or best tin
is sav'd, the lower part is set aside as of little or no value, but
always belongs, if it is...